The journey of Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man has been an interesting one. Originally slated for a streaming only release, the film ended up at Universal following famed director Jordan Peele seeing it and believing in its potential so strongly, he used his production company Monkeypaw to get it into theaters. Following a much hyped trailer that grabbed the attention of potential moviegoers, the film has finally hit multiplexes.
In Monkey Man, a kid (Dev Patel) who has lost his mother young matures into a young man who makes out a meager living as a fighter in an underground fight club. He soon finds a way to infiltrate the underground of India’s elite caste in a bid to seek revenge on the upper crust who wronged him and continue to do the same to his country.
It is probably safe to assume that most people who are interested in this film came to it because of its action-packed debut trailer which immediately reminded the average moviegoer of the popular John Wick franchise. In that case allow me to use this early part of the review to assure readers that Monkey Man’s action set pieces do not disappoint. The combat in the film is kinetic and full of energy, based upon hand-to-hand combat more so than the gun fu that Wick and other modern action franchises have become known for. The shaky camera movement recalls the Jason Bourne series and matches the frenetic pacing of the story beats in which the action scenes appear, but it does come at the expense of fully enjoying the visuals of the scenes in the moment. Still, the action is bloody and intense and is sure to scratch the itch of those who came to see the spectacle. The only issue is that the action itself may be more sparse than what some may have expected coming in.
Despite its marketing, Monkey Man is a much more story driven feature than one focused on vengeance fueled action. The kid’s motivation for revenge is interspersed with the main narrative through flashbacks that both explain his backstory and provide insight into what torments him mentally and drives him to take the beatings that he does on the underground fighting circuit. It is here where the film’s substantive themes and exploration surface as India’s caste stratification is put on full display and we see the poor, rural caste have their land and lives decimated to serve the whims of the elite, enforced by crooked law enforcement who kill anyone who dares to try to impede their “progress.” Monkey Man attempts to make a statement about the haves versus the have nots and the need for a hero to standup against the injustices forced upon the lower classes by a decadent upper class who cares only about their own personal indulgences. The kid’s experience within their tangled web serve as meta commentary on this social issue and provides some depth for the character itself as he must learn to focus his grief and rage into effective actions that what accomplish some good. Patel does well in displaying this inner conflict both in front of and behind the camera through both the aforementioned flashbacks and his performance as The Kid. His emotional journey comprises the film’s second act where Monkey Man gets more stereotypically artistic and the pacing slows a bit but never becomes disinteresting.
Monkey Man may not be what some expect, but it’s still a pretty good action flick that manages to weave in some substantive character work and social commentary with well executed action set pieces and a quality leading performance from Dev Patel. Patel seeks to elevate the action film and meld it with his “higher minded” indie work which may work for some viewers, but disappoint those seeking a straightforward action flick. Still, his debut as a director shows some promise and seems to be a harbinger of what could be an interesting path for him moving forward. Aside from the story he has written here, there are some interesting visual and camera choices he employs that show promise should he continue to develop his skills behind the camera. All in all, this is a film worth checking out.
Image: Universal Pictures
